Katherine El-Salahi, anti-apartheid activist and publisher, dies at 80

Katherine El-Salahi, a notable activist, anthropologist, and publisher, has passed away. Originally named Katherine Levine, she pursued social anthropology at Cambridge and completed her PhD at SOAS, conducting fieldwork associated with the University of Dar es Salaam. In 1970, she became a member of London Recruits, a secretive organization opposing apartheid in South Africa. Her activities included leaflet bomb propaganda, providing safe houses for MK fighters, and smuggling weapons to the South African border while disguised as a newlywed couple. She played a crucial role in advancing her husband, Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi's career, particularly his 2013 retrospective at Tate Modern and his representation by Vigo Gallery. In the 1970s, she co-founded the Review of African Political Economy. After Ibrahim's imprisonment in Sudan, they relocated to Qatar in 1977, where he worked for the Ministry of Information. In the 1990s, she led the Bellagio Publishing Network, which supported literature from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.